QueryTrackerBlog

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Is Your Story Structure Working?

I love story structure. It's my
go-to tool for planning a novel, and the first thing I look at when it's time
to revise that novel. As long as everything is in the right place, I can focus
on the story and characters and trust my plot is holding all the pieces together.

What makes story structure so valuable, is that it provides solid, proven
turning points that can help you decide what events need to happen when to get
the most out of your story. It also helps you find holes in the plot, and
places where the stakes might need to be raised, allowing you to find potential
problems before you stumble across them.

As valuable as structure is in the writing process, it's critical in the
revision process. Your structure is your guide to tightening weak areas,
adjusting your pacing, strengthening your goals--the entire foundation on your
novel is built on its structure. A weak structure creates a weak novel (and
nobody wants that). Analyzing these points helps you craft a stronger novel.

A note about story structure: As you go through these questions, keep in
mind that the terms used are meant in a general, conceptual way. For example,
the “final battle” doesn’t have to be an actual battle, or even a fight, it’s
the final moment when the two conflicting sides (protagonist vs. antagonist)
resolve the conflict.

Look at your story and ask:

Are all the pieces in the
right places? Key turning points in
the plot keep the story moving forward. Put the right piece in the wrong
turning point, and the novel can drag, or feel rushed if things happen too
early.

Does the opening scene
present an intriguing problem or mystery to draw readers in? The goal of the opening scene is to pique
readers’ interest and make them want to read on. Is there something interesting
happening on page one that makes someone want to read page two?

Is there an inciting event
within the first 30 pages (or 50 pages for longer manuscripts) that puts the
protagonist on the path to the rest of the novel? In every story there’s a moment early on that changes the protagonist’s
life forever by putting her on the plot path—if it hadn’t happened, the plot
wouldn’t unfold as it does and the story wouldn’t have happened.

Is there a moment in the
beginning where the protagonist makes the choice to pursue the story
problem? Near the end of the
beginning (around the 25% mark in a traditional Three Act Structure), the
protagonist has the option of saying “no” and not pursuing the core conflict
goal, but makes a choice to move ahead with the plot and venture into the
unknown.

Do the stakes escalate at
this time? Good story structure
provides opportunities for the stakes to escalate at major turning points of
the plot.

Does something happen in the
middle of the book that changes how the story problem is viewed or approached? The middle of the book often shifts things
for the protagonist and plans start to fall apart—whether she realizes it or
not. Or things might be revealed which change how the entire story thus far has
been viewed or understood.

Are the stakes raised again
around this time? Stakes typically
become more personal and the risks get higher at the midpoint, and the
protagonist is now more invested in resolving the problem.

Is there a dark moment or set
back just before the ending starts that raises the stakes again? As things get harder and tougher for the
protagonist, it becomes uncertain if she can win. Shortly before the ending
(around the 75% mark in the Three Act Structure) everything is (or has been)
stripped away, and the protagonist loses all hope and doesn’t see a way out of
the problem.

Are the stakes raised yet
again? Often, this is when the
highest, most personal stakes come into play—an all or nothing, do or die
consequence.

Does the protagonist make the
decision to continue the fight despite the risks or sacrifices? This is a critical moment that triggers the
climax, sending the protagonist to face off against the antagonist to resolve
the novel’s core conflict.

Is there a clear win for the
protagonist at the climax? Something that must be done in order to succeed? The final battle uses everything the
protagonist has learned so far, and what must be done to win is clear (though how
is often still a mystery).

Does the ending resolve
itself in a way that satisfies the story questions posed in the beginning of
the novel? Not every loose end
needs to be tied up, but the core conflict and the major plot threads should be
answered to reader satisfaction.

Is the ending satisfying? A satisfying ending frequently equates to a
great novel, since it’s the last thing readers see. It’s the ending readers
have been waiting for, and gives them what they wanted (though not always in
the way they expect).

Story structure is not a template, so don't feel you have to follow every
step exactly. Turning points can shift or change to suit the novel it's
supporting. Use it as a guide to a stronger story and a reminder of the
storytelling moment most novels use.

What story structure do you
prefer?

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Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of The Healing Wars trilogy and the Foundations of Fiction series, including Planning Your Novel:
Ideas and Structure, a self-guided
workshop for planning or revising a novel, the companion Planning Your NovelWorkbook, Revising Your Novel: First Draft to Finished Draft and
the upcoming Understanding Show, Don't Tell (And Really Getting It). She's
also the founder of the writing site, Fiction University.For more advice and helpful writing tips,
visit her atwww.fiction-university.com or @Janice_Hardy.